The role of basic and applied research activities for the improvement of OS&H conditions and the dissemination of the Culture of Safety

Although the European panorama is experiencing a profound change in advance to the Industry 4.0, revolutionizing the world of work with technical, technological and information innovations, in Italy even today we have to deal with the "old" problem of work related injuries and fatalities. In particular, the accident indices of the last few years do not seem to differ much from those typical of the 1970s. The cultural effort matured with the enforcement of the European Directives, with the consequent passage from a rigid prescriptive approach to a flexible one based on risk analysis, is therefore not sufficient to face without “trauma” such rapid technological development accompanied by legislative, productive changes and increasingly widespread reassignment of tasks within the Companies. In this context, the role of scientific research is essential to contribute to technological transfer and scientific knowledge by reconciling the essential aspects of Occupational Safety and Health, through a rigorous and devoted analysis of working scenarios. Furthermore, the dissemination of a Culture of Safety at all levels (Management and Staff roles) can encourage a bilateral synergy "Industry-University" from an OS&H point of view. The present work discusses in more detail the results of the research carried out by the “young” OS&H researchers of the Polytechnic University of Turin presented on the second day of the Conference Dissemination of The Culture of Safety and Health at Work - “Eras of OS&H Development from early ’50 to industry 4.0”

Special nuclear material detection studies with the SMANDRA mobile system

The detection of special nuclear material has been studied with the SMANDRA mobile inspection system used both as a high sensitivity passive neutron/gamma spectroscopic tool and as an active inspection device using tagged neutrons. The detection of plutonium samples is possible with passive interrogation, the passive detection of uranium being much more difficult because of the low neutron yield and of the easiness of shielding the gamma rays. However, we show that active interrogation with tagged neutrons is able to provide signatures for the discrimination of uranium against other materials

Geografie di oggi. Metodi e strategie tra ricerca e didattica

Questo volume è l’esito del confronto e delle riflessioni sviluppate durante il II Workshop “AIIG Giovani” organizzato a Roma nell’aprile del 2013. Nasce da un desiderio, quello di presentare l’importanza della combinazione tra metodi d’indagine tradizionali e nuovi per costruire sapere geografico, e da una passione, sostenuta dall’intreccio di relazioni umane che si evolvono nel tempo. Per chiarire quale possa essere il contributo della geografia alla comprensione del mondo contemporaneo, sempre più complesso, gli autori presentano le principali metodologie geografiche in quattro sezioni: “Territori della tecnologia”, “Identità, spazi, luoghi”, “Nodi della rete” e “Approcci sperimentali nella scuola che cambia”. Emerge dal lavoro un quadro multifocale che rispecchia la poliedricità e la trasversalità della geografia contemporanea, ancorato al comune bisogno di sviluppare strumenti interpretativi e d’azione. Ci si muove nell’ambito di una geografia critica e della complessità in grado di fornire ai cittadini globali differenti strumenti di interpretazione e comprensione del mondo, nuove metafore a partire dalle quali costruire e sperimentare forme alternative di cittadinanza consapevole ed attiva. Qui la geografia ritrova lo slancio di una disciplina fertile capace non solo di descrivere la Terra, ma anche di immaginare e creare nuovi mondi possibili. L’approdo naturale di questo percorso è la realtà scolastica dove è possibile sperimentare nuove forme di sapere e azione per rispondere alla sfida educativa contemporanea

Laboratory Tests of Low Density Astrophysical Equations of State

Clustering in low density nuclear matter has been investigated using the NIMROD multi-detector at Texas A&M University. Thermal coalescence modes were employed to extract densities, $\rho$, and temperatures, $T$, for evolving systems formed in collisions of 47 $A$ MeV $^{40}$Ar + $^{112}$Sn,$^{124}$Sn and $^{64}$Zn + $^{112}$Sn, $^{124}$Sn. The yields of $d$, $t$, $^{3}$He, and $^{4}$He have been determined at $\rho$ = 0.002 to 0.032 nucleons/fm$^{3}$ and $T$= 5 to 10 MeV. The experimentally derived equilibrium constants for $\alpha$ particle production are compared with those predicted by a number of astrophysical equations of state. The data provide important new constraints on the model calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure